Noted poet, playwright, author and Carroll Gardens’ native, Vito Gentile, returned to Sacred Hearts/St. Stephen Church on Sunday, December 6th to share poems, including those from his book, Fifty Poems About Christmas, and excerpts from his memoir, Little Christmas. Gentile, who grew up on 4th Place, attended school at St. Mary Star of the Sea and worshipped at both St. Mary’s and SHSS churches when he was a boy.
While his extraordinary life has taken many turns – to Windsor Terrace, to Wall Street, to Greenwich Village, to London, and now to Long Island – Gentile has never forgotten about his days of growing up in South Brooklyn, and the devotion of his parents to their family and their faith.
His connection to SHSS church can best be found in the Statue of Our Lady of Sorrows (Madonna Addolorata), patroness of Mola Di Bari.
It was Gentile’s father, Vito Antonio Gentile, Sr. and his cousin, Joseph (Pupine) who made it possible to have a replica made of the original statue of the Madonna in Mola. Then they had it transported to their adopted parish of SHSS.
Pupine went door to door in Red Hook to raise the necessary funds. When the processions (or “parades” as Mr. Gentile, Jr. refers to them) began in 1948 on Good Fridays and on the Madonna’s September feast day each year, they would always stop on the corner of 4th Place and Court Street, and turn the statue to face the Gentile home in his honor.
Mr. Gentile has been writing Christmas poems for close to 40 years. While “they are not all religious in nature,” as he states in Little Christmas, “they follow that old testament dictum, Prepare ye the way of the Lord!”
The reading, therefore, made for a perfect Sunday afternoon in Advent for the more than 60 people who came. Wearing a suit and tie as his father wore each Sunday when he attended weekly Mass at SHSS, Gentile read poems that spanned his lifetime.One was about a nativity scene which found a home on top of his refrigerator.
He also read a particularly humorous and poignant excerpt from Little Christmas, about waiting with his little brother on Court Street for their father to come home from his job on the docks. Their hope was to convince him to buy a Christmas tree early in the season for the bargain price of 75 cents!
Mr. Gentile’s words evoked magical memories of Christmas in Carroll Gardens of old for those who were around back then. He painted a vivid picture of the way things were for newcomers As SHSS parishioner Joe Cerato stated, “I left with more Christmas spirit than I had when I arrived.”
Upcoming Events
Congregation Mount Sinai 250 Cadman Plaza West
First Fridays @ CMS combines traditional prayers with music, chanting, meditation and song to create an inclusive, joyful experience of community, spirituality and meaning. Join our musicians with your family and friends to start your weekend in an uplifting and relaxing way. Friday, January 8 – musical Shabbat service at 6:30 pm and vegetarian potluck dinner at 7:30 pm. To sponsor an upcoming First Friday, please contact rabbiwax@gmail.com.
Radical Judaism with Igal Harmelin Moria Tuesdays in January (starting January 18) and February (through February 23) from 6:00–8:00 pm; free introductory talk on Monday, January 11 at 7:00 pm. Explore a Judaism that is alive, vibrant, and full of meaningful practices that can enrich, inform, and inspire your life. Join Igal Harmelin Moria for an an 8-session seminar on the teachings in Radical Judaism by Rabbi Arthur Green. Each session will consist of a short presentation, passage reading, some meditative exercises, and a group discussion. Course cost is $150 ($75 for students and seniors).
Afternoon Film Festival – Jewish Soldiers in Blue and Gray on Wednesday, January 20 at 3:30 pm. An exploration of the little-known history of the Jews who fought for both the Confederacy and the Union Armies. Admission is free, and donations are appreciated. Coffee and snacks provided.
Kane Street Synagogue 236 Kane Street
Open Beit Midrash on Tuesday evenings until April 12, 2016. This month’s course will take place on January 5, 12, and 19 and is entitled Unpacking the Conversion Debate-Ancient Sources, Modern Questions. The next course will take place on January 26, February 2 and 9 and will be entitled “Say You Are My Sister…” Sisters and Brothers in the Bible. Dinner at 6:45 and Class from 7:30 – 9:00 pm. Cost is $40 per each three-week course; subscriptions are available. Visit http://kanestreet.org or contact Joy Fallek at ronitjoy@aol.com for information and registration.
The Oratory Church of St. Boniface 109 Willoughby Street
Beyond Sunday@ the Oratory – For 20 or 30 somethings looking for a group of fellow Catholic young adults to share spiritual, service, and social activities. E-mail Emily Mathis at beyondsundayoratory@gmail.com to be added to the weekly newsletter list and to find out about upcoming events.
Selma – Film Screening and Potluck. The Adult Faith Formation and Social Justice Committees are joining forces this year to present Catholic Encounters with Race: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. This ongoing series calls for Christian dialogue and action on the racial divide in our communities and churches. We’ll seek to confront past and current failures in addressing the sin of racism, especially in our own Catholic churches, as well as to seek hope and guidance from within our faith tradition. Join us as we kick things off with a potluck dinner and screening of Selma, the acclaimed 2014 film. On Friday, January 15: Potluck Dinner at 6:00 P.M., Film/Discussion at 7:00 P.M. in Newman Hall.
Fr. Dennis’ Book Club Schedule, 2015-2016 Members Choice! On Sundays at 1:00 pm: January 24 – Redeployment by Phil Kay; February 28 – Ubik, by Philip Kay Dick; March 13 – The Death of Ivan Illyich by Leo Tolstoy; April 24 – Old Ways by Robert MacFarlane; May 15 – The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald; and on Monday, June 20 – The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. Aula Maxima. New members welcome.
Sacred Hearts/St. Stephen Church Summit & Hicks Streets
150th Anniversary Year of Saint Stephen Parish opening Mass and celebration of the Feast of St. Stephen on January 17th at 10:00 am.
St. Agnes Church Hoyt & DeGraw Streets
French Mass each Sunday at 11am
Sounds on Sackett – A concert series of jazz, pop, and classical performances will continue in March. For more information and a full list of upcoming concerts, call 718-625-1717.
Visitation BVM Church 98 Richards Street
Healing Mass in Spanish on January 13 at 7:00 pm.
Healing Mass in English on January 29 at 7:00 pm.
